Does it end with India’s independence? Does it end with the death of the last king, Jayachamrajendra Wodeyar? Or does it include a bit of Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar, too?

These are the explosive questions that have been lobbed in the air by the latest controversy surrounding the sound and light show that is to be held in the forecourt of the Mysore Palace. (Latest, because there have been others before this.)

The story so far: the services of the playwright and critic Lingadevaru Halemane were requisitioned by a “company” setting up the son et luminiere to write the script for the show directed by T.S. Nagabharana.

Halemane delivered. But….

But, Srikantadatta Wodeyar is unhappy with the script.

There is no firm word on the cause of Wodeyar’s grouse, but speculation is that he is miffed at being left out completely from the script for the show which is supposed to tell the story of Mysore’s royal past to visitors and tourists.

Wodeyar has expressed his unhappiness to the district in-charge minister D.T. Jayakumar, who says the script shall now be referred to a committee of “experts” for their OK before it is given the go-ahead.

Halamane, meanwhile, is insistent he has done nothing wrong.

He admits Wodeyar is not part of his script but adds it was approved by an eight-member committee. He says he is “not a poet in the royal court” to write what Wodeyar wants. And he says he didn’t need to consult anybody while writing it.

Presuming the exclusion of Wodeyar is the core area of dispute, there are the 11 questions that are crying out for answers:

1) Although his father was the last king and we were a democracy by the time he was born, is Srikantadatta Wodeyar not entitled to any claims to royalty?

2) Can the history of the Mysore Kingdom be told without including the progeny of the last maharaja, who would later be its Member of Parliament?

3) On the other hand, if Srikantadatta Wodeyar is now for all practical purposes a mere commoner, can he command a place in the script as a matter of right?

4) Would the script of the sound and light show, which is history for tourists, have irrevocably suffered had erstwhile prince been included in it?

5) If the script was approved by an eight-member committee, can better equipped “experts” be called in to sit in judgement over them?

6) If so, why weren’t these “experts” part of the committee in the first place and what is the validity of the approval of the screening committee?

7) Even if he wrote the script by devouring history books, could not have Halemane shown Wodeyar the simple courtesy of meeting him and consulting him?

8) If Halemane is right in ending with Jayachamaraja Wodeyar, should he have ended the story of Mysore in 1947, instead of with Wodeyar’s death in 1974?

9) Does leaving out the son of the last maharaja who is the erstwhile scion from the script indicate an ideological attempt at revisionism?

10) Since the show is about us, should the script of the show be put out in the public realm, a bit like Wikipedia, so that we can all join in the debate?

11) If Srikantadatta Wodeyar is included in the script after all this hoo-ha, will the show lose its credibility and gravitas?

7 comments

The history of the Royal Kingdom of Mysore is incomplete without Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar jhust because we were a democracy by the time he was born. If Halemane has chosen to end the story of Mysore with Jayachamaraja Wodeyar’s death in 1974 instead of ending it with the birth of democracy in 1947, he has been rather unfair to Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar by not including him in the history of the Royal Kingdom of Mysore.

History says that the royalty in India was witnessed for the last time in the revolt of 1857, when few brave ones rise against the British, in a hope to regain their independence. After that the Kings in India had a status no better than the titular, and in some cases only ceremonial, courtiers of the Queen.

At the time of Independence there were approx. 471 such kingdoms, which agreed to accede into India. Thanks to the statesmanship of Sardar Patel.

What is all the brouhaha is about is not clear but Dr.Lingadevaru comes out as a highly arrogant academician. Just today I was discussing about him with another Historian and academician from Bijapaur and according to him Dr. Lingadevaru is not even a historian. Another friend /politician said the name lingadevaru makes them arrogant!

Here is a man living in his ancestral abode of 600 years and a virtual prisoner at that. You want to gatecrash to his house and want to tell him this is the story of your ancestors and who are you tell me? This is absurd and height of arrogance and an insult every Mysorean. If he is such a scholar let him write a book and exclude the Wadiyars altogether if he wants to .Let him know, he is paid by taxpayers money and not a politician to misbehave.

But a stray thought about the content itself.

Knowing the history of Mysore, very little of what happened from 1399 to 1610 is actually known. From 1610 to 1799 the scene actually shifted to Srirangapatna. Tipu destroyed Mysore Fort and the Palace. It was rebuilt after 1799. From 1799 to 1897 the city itself was inside the Fort. After a fire during the wedding of Princess Jayalakshammani with her maternal uncle Diwan Kantharaj Urs destroyed the palace, the scene shifted to Jagan Mohan Palace for few years when the present Palace was being built. Only for the last 105 years the present Palace as it exist today is the venue of the famous Dasara festivities. It actually spans only Nalvadi KRW and JCRW’s reign. Thanks only to Mr. SDNRW the current generation (thro’ Royalsplendoursofmysore.com) actually know what happens behind the scene during Dasara for the first time.

God only knows what Dr. Lingadevaru has written and how much is relevant. God forbid if he has tried to portray Hyder and Tipu in his show!

For heavens sake don’t make a mockery of the Historical palace premises to quench the vanity and deep pockets of few self styled historians and politicians. Let them do what ever they want at say Bannimanatap premises or even Lalitha Mahal Premises ( after all it belongs to state government and they can jolly well take it back from the central government) or even Chamundi Vihar Premises ( where tipu wanted to Rule), but save Mysore Palace from this Devaru business.

Nobody has the right to question Mr Wodeyar…Its easy for any body to comment on matters like these, but i request the readers to remember one thing the kind of development work done in mysore state even berfore independence could not have been successful with out the rukers of mysore…As a matter fo fact mysore as a state ws independent even before india…Halemane hosamane and if there are any other manes, respect the royals of mysore….